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A jetter is basically a pressure washer with a pulsation valve. It makes the hose vibrate as needed to help navigate tight turns or long distance. Most pressure washer pumps can have a pulsation valve or bypass installed.

The 'rest of the stuff is just the combination of hoses and nozzles that makes a pressure washer into a jetter.

Electric is limited to approx 2 hp as the amp draw is approaching 20 with a load. 1.5 hp will be easier on the breakers. But you can drop your outlet pressure to lower the amp draw as needed.

A gas powered machine will have higher flow and higher pressure as you go up in h.p.

Even a light weight gas pressure washer will outperform an electric unit.

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I know almost nothing about jetting except what I've read here. For lines 2" and smaller does a pressure washer with some modifications do essentially the same thing. And what modifications would those be? I noticed the local saw shop as a nice gas powered stihl unit fairly. Small but would something like that work for small jobs?

Get a 13 hp honda and you'll do anything up to 4". No modifications are needed. The pulsation valve is very bad for a pump and causes the seals to burn out....use the foot pedal instead. Here's what you need.

3/8 jumper hose....just a standard pressure washer hose. I prefer to use a 75' because my garden hose is only 10'.
Foot pedal....suttner makes one as well as ridgid.
Hose reel....the ones from northern tools work great and are cheap enough...under 100
1/4 jetter hose. This will be the one for mainlines
3/16 hose...sink lines
nozzles. this is important....buy the nozzles LAST. Get everything assembled, then put a 1/4 quick disconnect on the end of your hose. Get some zero degree nozzles (cost about 3 each). 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 and try each nozzle until you're getting the pressure speced at the pump. My 4gpm 3500 pump uses a 4.5 nozzle. Then get Neil at Aqua Mole to make you nozzles based off whatever nozzle size. I would recommend the 1/4- 3r1f, 4r....for 1/8(3/16 uses 1/8 nozzle) get the same 3r1f, 4r and one corner nozzle. I prefer the 35 degree angle.
Also get a root ranger and buy the appropriate turbo nozzle from envirospec and switch nozzles.

This is my jetter

Buy cheap, buy twice.

Comment

Well my first impression of the Crap shooter was it looked small
I tried it out on my wifes kitchen drain , it did work OK going through the 2" cast but slowed up when i hit the 3" vent area of the bath room
The guys at Bullfrog Industries responded to al my emails and followed up with a phone call . i do give there customer service a thumbs up
They agreed to take the shooter back

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Followed a guy with a cable on a kit sink yeterday as it happens. ~40' of fairly flat 2" abs before joining a 3" stack. initial clog was at a horizontal 90 about 35' in. it had been draining slow for years, getting by by storing whatever was new in that long line and letting it out slow. finally plugged up tight. was cabled a few days earlier. took out massive amounts of years old grease hardened up like soap. crazy bad one. took a whole hour. I really think it's the way to go.

This is my reminder to myself that no good will ever come from discussing politics or religion with anyone, ever.

Get a 13 hp honda and you'll do anything up to 4". No modifications are needed. The pulsation valve is very bad for a pump and causes the seals to burn out....use the foot pedal instead. Here's what you need.

3/8 jumper hose....just a standard pressure washer hose. I prefer to use a 75' because my garden hose is only 10'.
Foot pedal....suttner makes one as well as ridgid.
Hose reel....the ones from northern tools work great and are cheap enough...under 100

1/4 jetter hose. This will be the one for mainlines
3/16 hose...sink lines
nozzles. this is important....buy the nozzles LAST. Get everything assembled, then put a 1/4 quick disconnect on the end of your hose. Get some zero degree nozzles (cost about 3 each). 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 and try each nozzle until you're getting the pressure speced at the pump. My 4gpm 3500 pump uses a 4.5 nozzle. Then get Neil at Aqua Mole to make you nozz[ATTACH=CONFIG]17721[/ATTACH]les based off whatever nozzle size. I would recommend the 1/4- 3r1f, 4r....for 1/8(3/16 uses 1/8 nozzle) get the same 3r1f, 4r and one corner nozzle[ATTACH=CONFIG]17720[/ATTACH]. I prefer the 35 degree angle.
Also get a root ranger and buy the appropriate turbo nozzle from envirospec and switch nozzles.

This is my jetter[ATTACH=CONFIG]17719[/ATTACH]

Thank you I really appreciate it just dreaming for now but very interested it sounds like a good investment. Thanks again seanny.

Comment

Followed a guy with a cable on a kit sink yeterday as it happens. ~40' of fairly flat 2" abs before joining a 3" stack. initial clog was at a horizontal 90 about 35' in. it had been draining slow for years, getting by by storing whatever was new in that long line and letting it out slow. finally plugged up tight. was cabled a few days earlier. took out massive amounts of years old grease hardened up like soap. crazy bad one. took a whole hour. I really think it's the way to go.

Sounds like whoever cleared the line, doesn't understand how to clean a line.

Comment

before you send it back, can you post a picture of the motor and pump assy. thier website avoided that all all cost.

25# sounds like a slot car motor and a little piston pump. i would be interested in seeing what's under the hood.

thanks,

rick.

I wish you asked before i put the millions of peanut packing back in the box.
In side the case you had the pump , and a on off switch. the moter was a little smaller than a 12 oz beer can
I am sure it would have cleaned a 2" drain with no problem , i don't no for how long

Comment

Hey Rick, did it ever occur to you that you might be able to learn something from someone else or that you might actually be wrong? Your arrogance is making you delusional. And for what it's worth, I'm really not impressed with you. You'd be considered a hack in these parts especially if you tried jetting a kitchen sink. I'd prob fire you on the spot. As far as not being a licensed plumber is concerned, I've proven many lic plumbers wrong in my day yet none have ever been able to prove me wrong. Why do you think that is?

NYC, sorry but you lost the arguement when you got personal. I use a small jetter on small lines, matter of fact I had a mate's place today where the drains are steel and havent been touched in over 30yrs. he was stoked to see what the smallmachine did. Not too much impact on the pipe as far as damaging it but sure cleaned teh built-up crap from inside. before you start calling us hacks look outside the 'square circle" and know that we all face up to similar problems everyday and Johnny on the spot makes the call and stands behind it. 30yrs ago we had very little other than valuable knowlege handed down from our Masters. Now many just operate for money regardless of results. I have been spanked here by others who are not Licensed Plumber Gasfitters and quite frankly they dont matter. They have their opinion and quite rightly have the right to express freely. Before you jumpon another Member here take a breath and think about what your next words carefully.

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I didn't know you were the forums authority on right and wrong. I'll give you a piece of advise, speak when spoken to. I'm not really interested in your opinion. I hope that those words were carefully thought out enough for you mate

Comment

People think jetting is more difficult and messier. "you'll spray black everywhere with a jetter" No, I won't. I don't. I do it every day. And my hose doesn't come back dripping or flinging black around the cabinet like a cable can do. For most people jetting a sink is a post cable upsell. For me it is not; it is a faster easier way to do the job. I don't charge more for it. And when I do do both on a vanity, I jet first, not second; my cable comes back clean with a clean hair wad on it as it has been jetted first.

Since I've been on this forum, I definitely noticed that things are done different between coasts from mid west to south.

Here on the East Coast, specifically my area, you won't see clean-outs for kitchen sinks, whether that clean out is on the inside or out.

My point is, I was always under that impression that jetting sink lines inside a home was messy. I don't own a jetter yet, so I couldn't possibly know if that was true or not. Not many companies in my area own jetters except the big National chains. I don't know if it's because we have freezing weather here and the Plumbers don't want to deal with winterizing them or not.

Jetting just isn't really that big around here...but I definitely want to get involved with it down the road here. I've been in the trades a long time, and I'm not ashamed to say I don't know everything. I've learn quite a few things here, especially on the drain cleaning side of things, as we have guys here that do more drain cleaning than I ever did.

So If jetting a sink line can be done inside the home...I believe it now.

Comment

Hey Rick, did it ever occur to you that you might be able to learn something from someone else or that you might actually be wrong? Your arrogance is making you delusional. And for what it's worth, I'm really not impressed with you. You'd be considered a hack in these parts especially if you tried jetting a kitchen sink. I'd prob fire you on the spot. As far as not being a licensed plumber is concerned, I've proven many lic plumbers wrong in my day yet none have ever been able to prove me wrong. Why do you think that is?

Wow, that's pretty good. Take you long to come up with that? I guess I'll just take it for what it's worth. After all , you are the "master plumber" who decided to buy that POS.

Nyc drain guy, its easy to disagree with someone but this isn't plumbing zone, we are all fellow tradesman some ticketed and some drain cleaners. At the end of the day, we are all here to learn and share our experiences. It's easy to get offended and throw insults out. I've seen it happen and experienced it but on this site it doesn't get you far. The best thing to do is apologize and admit someone got under your skin. " yes I have had to do this on occasion as well." But this is. GREAT bunch of guys and gals. We are all human and we all do things different, some are wrong some are ingenious and some are just different. I would suggest to try and be respectful. It will give you a much better experience on this forum, just advise feel free to disagree just pointing out what I've learned